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Going Shampoo Free

June 22, 2012 10 Comments

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About three years ago, I started reading about the benefits of going shampoo-free. I was extremely curious, but the condition of my scalp made me nervous and stopped me. I have been a ‘wash-my-hair-daily‘ girl since I was about 13. As a teen/young adult, my scalp was oily, and during my first pregnancy, I developed some form of psoriasis or eczema on my scalp that never went away, except with the use of special shampoos. (Doctors were never sure of what it was, nor did they take it very seriously.)

In the meantime, my hair has been chemically and heat damaged, and I’m pretty sure that hormones are wreaking some serious havoc on it as well. I wasn’t sure what else to do with it, so I decided to just try it. I wish I could say that I did it for totally noble reasons – like saving the environment, or avoiding adding toxins to my body. Don’t get me wrong – those factored into it. But really? I’m just a curious person. I’ve been dying to know what my hair would do if I tried this.

So here I am.

I’m on Day 16* of this experiment. Days 1, 2 and 3 were uneventful, except for the fact that I spent a lot of time smelling my hair, expecting it to smell awful, only to realize it had a pleasantly fresh scent to it. In fact, I’ve absolutely loved my hair, until 2 days ago. I overdid the baking soda on Monday, and I’ve spent the last couple of days trying to ‘normalize’ it. There is a transition period, as the scalp adjusts to not being stripped of natural oils on a daily basis, so I’m trying to just go with it. Ponytails and braids have been my friends during this time.

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I’ve been sharing updates on Twitter and Facebook, and have gotten so many questions about ‘why’ and ‘how’. So, I’ve decided to write more about it here, on the blog. I’m working on a FAQ on it, and I’m trying to get it posted as soon as I can and I thought I’d also work on posting some updates throughout the process.

If you have any questions, be sure to leave them in the comments.

*corrected timeframe. I’ve always sucked at math…

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Comments

  1. Rachel @ Grasping for Objectivity says

    June 22, 2012 at 3:33 pm

    You look great! I look forward to hearing all of the FAQs. What has stopped me so far is the tangle factor. I have very fine, long hair that tangles Oh-So-Easily. I don’t think I could survive without conditioner! So. How are the tangles, and does anyone go shampoo free but still use conditioner??

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      June 22, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      Rachel, I would suggest then the nopoo method but also still use conditioner. Some people’s hair is too dry to not use it. Just google how-to on nopoo and cowash methods.

      Reply
      • Katherine @ Grass Stains says

        June 25, 2012 at 10:32 am

        “Nopoo.” Heh.

        Reply
    • Karla says

      June 22, 2012 at 8:03 pm

      Rachel~

      When I don’t use conditioner, my hair gets tangles too. It does not feel silky smooth and lovely in the shower, but it dries totally different. When I dry it, it is nice and soft.

      I agree with Sarah on the conditioner – some people still opt to use an organic type conditioner.

      I will say, usually, (my experience and others I’ve read) only struggle with ‘too dry’ hair when they use too much baking soda (like I did on Monday)… They need to adjust it, and play around with the Apple Cider Vinegar and consider using a touch of coconut oil as well.

      Reply
  2. tam says

    June 22, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    so fascinating.

    i am glad it’s working out for you so well. how is your scalp doing?

    Reply
    • Karla says

      June 22, 2012 at 11:00 pm

      I have had no issues with my scalp, Tammy. I thought it would be a mess (one day without shampooing drove me to the brink of insanity)… I’ve experienced no itching, despite going several days between washes. That is HUGE for me, personally. I’m pretty amazed by that…

      Reply
  3. Katherine @ Grass Stains says

    June 25, 2012 at 10:34 am

    I cannot IMAGINE not washing mine every day. I feel like the oil would literally run off my pillow onto the floor if I didn’t. Do you think it would make a difference if you have naturally curly vs. naturally straight hair? Mine is almost corkscrew curly.

    Reply
    • Karla says

      June 30, 2012 at 9:58 pm

      Katherine~ from everything I’ve read, curly hair is actually best suited for it.

      My hair has a wave to it, and my scalp gets pretty angry. This past week was difficult, oily and groddy factor were very high, but the last 24 hours, I’m thinking I may have finally hit the turning point.

      Reply
  4. Jennifer Hurless says

    September 20, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    So I am on my first week of shampoo free living, and have seen some conflicting info on it, on some other websites. Some say to add the ACV while the baking soda is still in my hair, which gives and nice foamy feeling I enjoy. Others say that you should rinse the baking soda prior to adding vinegar to get the proper results. What are your thoughts on this?

    Reply
    • Karla says

      September 20, 2012 at 9:21 pm

      I’ve seen both, and honestly, I have never tried adding the ACV while the baking soda is still in my hair. I probably should try it, just to see if it does make a difference. But from everything I have read, one of the purposes of the ACV is to neutralize the baking soda, so I imagine it does the same thing either way. It probably has more to do with being able to feel the foam.

      Reply

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